Two men are in the Beaver County Jail facing a slew of charges after sports trash-talk at a bar escalated into a stabbing incident, sending three people to the hospital Sunday morning, according to police.

Harmony Township police responded to the Ba'runi Hotel & Grille on Duss Avenue after an incident that apparently started with basketball talk but continued and escalated about Pittsburgh's local teams.

Advertisement

Police Chief Jim Essek said the discussion was about "LeBron James and Michael Jordan, who's the better basketball player, because one of the guys had a LeBron James shirt on. Another patron of the bar had a Penguins shirt on, and then it ultimately ended up the Steelers, and they're not Steelers fans."

Michael Landeros and Armando Encinas, an uncle and nephew originally from Maryland, were arrested after police said Encinas pulled out a knife during the altercation and stabbed Ba'runi owner Alex Barlamas, employee Robert Gavlua and patron Timothy Edwards.

Essek called Ba'Runi "a very nice establishment," saying his department rarely responds to calls there, and he believes it was somewhat of a fluke situation involving too much alcohol.

All three victims were hospitalized and were expected to survive.

Landeros and Encinas are due in court Oct. 15 at 10 a.m. Landeros is charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct and simple assault, while Encinas faces felony charges of attempted homicide and aggravated assault.